Parking: Fees and Charges

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of changes in local authority car parking charges in (a) each local authority, (b) each English region and (c) England since 2009.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 2 December 2013
	We do not hold figures on individual parking charges. However, the following table shows the change in local authority gross expenditure, income and net current expenditure since 2009, broken down by (a) on-street and (b) off-street parking.
	The table shows how income and ‘profit’ (negative net current expenditure) from off-street parking has fallen over period, but risen from on-street parking. Councils have delivered operational savings from lower costs, but it would appear that these have not been passed onto consumers.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Total expenditure Total income Net current expenditure 
			 2009-10    
			 On-street parking 505,898,000 708,647,000 -202,749,000 
			 Off-street parking 355,975,000 642,658,000 -286,683,000 
			 2010-11    
			 On-street parking 457,495,000 696,463,000 -238,968,000 
			 Off-street parking 353,967,000 626,625,000 -272,658,000 
			 2011-12    
			 On-street parking 457,485,000 753,592,000 -296,108,000 
			 Off-street parking 349,269,000 618,531,000 -269,262,000 
			 2012-13    
			 On-street parking 453,597,000 770,389,000 -316,792,000 
			 Off-street parking 346,879,000 618,797,000 -271,916,000 
		
	
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 31-33WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by the former Government office regions. I have not undertaken a detailed analysis of individual local authorities, but the underlying data is available on department's website from revenue outturn (R02) returns.
	To place this table in context, from 1997-98 to 2010-11, local authority total income in England from parking rose from £608 million to £1.3 billion; net profits from parking rose from £223 million to £512 million in the same period. However, the law is extremely clear that on-street parking may not. be used as a source of general revenue.
	I would observe under the last Administration, councils were pressured by central Government to increase parking charges, both in ministerial speeches and in the Whitehall guidance issued by the Department and its predecessors.
	Indeed, when the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) , and was asked to increase local government's revenue raising powers, he noted that it was already Government policy to encourage councils to “creatively” and “extensively” make use of parking charges (CLG, Government response to the CLG “Select Committee report into the balance of power: central and local government”, Cm 7712, September 2009).
	By contrast, this Government has taken a series of steps to undo such measures, but there is more to do. Hence we have published detailed proposals on reforming parking enforcement, to rein back in over-zealous practices and to stand up for hard-working people and support local shops. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.